Providing notifications to devices based on real-time conditions related to an on-demand service

• US 9,960,986 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Tao, Christine, Rehani, Navya, McConnell, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Todd L
• Application Number:
  US14/219,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for providing notifications is described. The system accesses a notification database that stores a plurality of notification entries. Each notification entry includes notification text, location information, and condition information. For each of a plurality of devices, information is received that includes a current location of that device and a current status associated with that device. At least one device is determined to meet the condition information of a notification entry based on the received information. A notification corresponding to the notification entry is transmitted to the at least one device.

Claims

1. A method for providing notifications to computing devices, the method being performed by one or more processors of a computing system and comprising:

managing a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing one or more sub-regions within a given region, and (ii) a set of conditions for use in distributing the notification, the set of conditions including a utilization condition of a given sub-region, and a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers for a given portion of the given region;

generating a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receiving, from each driver device of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, (i) global positioning system (GPS) data indicating a real-time location of the driver device, and (ii) status information indicating a current status of the driver device;

interfacing with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notifying drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the corresponding event location;

B) determining, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the corresponding event location based on the set of conditions associated with the determined notification, the determined notification including location data that corresponds to the corresponding event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the determined notification from the notification database based at least in part on (i) the real-time location of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the corresponding event location; and

(ii) the current status of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices;

D) transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices, without transmitting the determined notification to other driver devices in the plurality of driver devices; and

E) adjusting a map user interface that is displayed on each selected driver device based on the real-time location of the selected driver device relative to the event location, wherein for each selected driver device, adjusting the map user interface includes (i) displaying a first marker on the map user interface to represent the real-time location of the selected driver device along with a second marker to represent the corresponding event location, and (ii) increasing a zoom level of the displayed map user interface to dynamically display the first marker along with the second marker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined notification includes audio content that is outputted on the selected set of driver devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conditions for the determined notification further includes a status requirement that corresponds to the current status of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined notification includes event information that corresponds to the given event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPS data from the plurality of driver devices are received periodically.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices is further based on the time condition being satisfied.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the determined notification to each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices enables a service application for the transportation service to provide content relating to the real-time location of the selected driver device and the corresponding event location.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a transportation service for a given region, cause the one or more processors to:

manage a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of the transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing one or more sub-regions within the given region, and (ii) a set of conditions for use in distributing the notification, the set of conditions including a utilization condition of a given sub-region, and a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers for a given portion of the given region;

generate a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receive, from each driver device of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, (i) global positioning system (GPS) data indicating a real-time location of the driver device, and (ii) status information indicating a current status of the driver device;

interface with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notify drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the corresponding event location;

B) determining, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the corresponding event location based on the set of conditions associated with the determined notification, the determined notification including location data that corresponds to the corresponding event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the determined notification from the notification database based at least in part on (i) the real-time location of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the corresponding event location; and

(ii) the current status of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices;

D) transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices, without transmitting the determined notification to other driver devices in the plurality of driver devices; and

E) adjusting a map user interface that is displayed on each selected driver device based on the real-time location of the selected driver device relative to the corresponding event location, wherein for each selected driver device, adjusting the map user interface includes (i) displaying a first marker on the map user interface to represent the real-time location of the selected driver device along with a second marker to represent the corresponding event location, and (ii) increasing a zoom level of the displayed map user interface to dynamically display the first marker along with the second marker.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determined notification includes audio content that is outputted on the selected set of driver devices.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the set of conditions for the determined notification includes a status requirement that corresponds to the current status of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the determined notification includes event information that corresponds to the given event.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the GPS data from the plurality of driver devices are received periodically.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices is further based on the time condition being satisfied.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices enables a service application for the transportation service to provide content relating to the real-time location of the selected driver device and the corresponding event location.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices is further based on the time condition being satisfied.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

manage a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing one or more sub-regions within a given region, and (ii) a set of conditions for use in distributing the notification, the set of conditions including a utilization condition of a given sub-region, and a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers for a given portion of the given region;

generate a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receive, from each driver device of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, (i) global positioning system (GPS) data indicating a real-time location of the driver device, and (ii) status information indicating a current status of the driver device;

interface with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notify drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the corresponding event location;

B) determining, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the corresponding event location based on the set of conditions associated with the determined notification, the determined notification including location data that corresponds to the corresponding event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the determined notification from the notification database based at least in part on (i) the real-time location of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the corresponding event location; and

(ii) the current status of each selected driver device in the selected set of driver devices;

D) transmitting the determined notification to the selected set of driver devices, without transmitting the determined notification to other driver devices in the plurality of driver devices; and

E) adjusting a map user interface that is displayed on each selected driver device based on the real-time location of the selected driver device relative to the corresponding event location, wherein for each selected driver device, adjusting the map user interface includes (i) displaying a first marker on the map user interface to represent the real-time location of the selected driver device along with a second marker to represent the corresponding event location, and (ii) increasing a zoom level of the displayed map user interface to dynamically display the first marker along with the second marker.